A front suspension member (hereinafter also referred to as “FR suspension member”) which supports suspension of front wheels of a vehicle is supported by a front side member (hereinafter also referred to as “FR side member”) which is a skeleton member at a front side of the vehicle.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, a FR side member 104 extends from an engine room (not shown) to a region below a vehicle cabin. A kick portion 104A which is a portion, of the FR side member 104, below the vehicle cabin; that is, a portion below a floor panel 108, and a rear end of the FR suspension member 100 are combined via a suspension member brace 102 (hereinafter also referred to as “SM brace”).
In addition, between the kick portion 104A of the FR side member 104 and a floor tunnel reinforcement (not shown; hereinafter also referred to as “floor tunnel RIF”) which is provided at an inner side, in a width direction of the vehicle, relative to the kick portion 104A, an inner torque box 106 is provided as a skeleton member combining the kick portion 104A and the floor tunnel RIF. The FR suspension member 100 is also combined with the inner torque box 106. In other words, the FR suspension member 100 is combined with the FR side member 104 via the suspension member brace 102 and the inner torque box 106.
If the FR suspension member 100 is provided at a lower position than that in the related art in order to satisfy demands for a lower center of gravity for the vehicle, a height difference (deviation in an up-and-down direction) between the FR suspension member 100 and the kick portion 104A of the FR side member 104 becomes larger. As a result, the suspension member brace 102 which combines these members would have an S shape, as exemplified in FIG. 7, in which there is provided an inclined portion 102A which is inclined to rise from the suspension member brace 102 toward the kick portion 104A.
The suspension member brace 102 has, in addition to the function to combine the FR suspension member 100 and the FR side member 104, a function as a bracing member for suppressing rearward movement of the FR suspension member 100 during front collision (hereinafter also referred to as “FR collision”). However, when the suspension member brace 102 has the S shape as shown in FIG. 7, a bent portion thereof may become a starting point for a bending deformation, and rigidity of the structure would be reduced as compared to the case where the suspension member brace 102 is formed in a straight shape in the front-and-rear direction of the vehicle.
In consideration of this, in JP 2003-252250 A, as exemplified in FIG. 8, a rear part of the inner torque box 106 is extended to a lower region, to provide an opposing wall 106A which opposes the rear end of the FR suspension member 100. During the front collision, the FR suspension member 100 collides with the opposing wall 106A of the inner torque box 106, and thus, further rearward movement therefrom can be suppressed.
When there is provided a structure which receives the FR suspension member which moves rearward during the front collision, a portion of the floor panel provided over this structure may be pushed upward during the front collision. As exemplified in FIG. 8, an upper end of the inner torque box 106 is combined with the floor panel 108 via a flange 104A of the FR side member 104.
During the front collision, the FR suspension member 100 moves rearward, and the opposing wall 106A of the inner torque box 106 receives and stops the FR suspension member 100. When the collision further progresses, as exemplified in FIG. 9, the opposing wall 106A of the inner torque box 106 is pressed rearward by the FR suspension member 100. With this pressing, a rear upper end 106B of the inner torque box 106 is pushed upward. With the upward pushing, a combining portion 108A of the floor panel 108 with the rear upper end 106B of the inner torque box 106 is pushed upward (elevated), which consequently causes narrowing of the vehicle cabin space.